Unix/Linux systems do not allow hard links on directories, since it may create endless cycles. Hard links are limited to files on the same volume, because name and file association in each hard link is through inode. Most file systems that support hard links use link count to keep track on the total number of links created to point to the inode (file). To find all the files which refer to the same file as NAME, we may use command find with the option '-samefile NAME' or '-inum INODE', where INODE is the inode number of NAME. The command ls with option '-il' gives you information on link count and inode for files.
A symbolic link is a special type of file that contains a text string which is interpreted by the operating system as a path to another file/directory. The other file/directory is usually called the "target". A symbolic link is another file that exists independently of its target, i.e., they are two files/directories indexed by two different inodes, as opposed to hard links. Symbolic links are different from hard links in that:
- a symbolic link may point to a directory, and
- a symbolic link may point to a directory/file in different volume
There is one issue with symbolic links. If a symbolic link is removed, its target remains unaffected. However, there is no automatic update for a symbolic link if its target is moved, renamed, or deleted. The symbolic link continues to exist and point to the original target, which no longer exists. This is called a broken link.
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